Announcements

Please report sandhill crane colt (chick) sightings to Kachemak Crane Watch. Include location, date, time and number of colts when first seen to reports@cranewatch.org or 235-6262.

An account has been set up at Wells Fargo for Alan Parks, whose home was destroyed in a fire on June 5. Contributions can be made to the “Start Over Fund for Alan Parks,” account number 149589270. Parks is a commercial fisherman, photographer and a longtime volunteer and trail groomer for the Kachemak Bay Nordic Ski Club.

The Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies offers its “Creatures of the Dock” tour at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily. A trained naturalist helps visitors explore the invertebrate life living on and around the Homer Harbor docks. Meet at the yurt near Ramp 2. The fee is $5 and no reservation is necessary. For more information, call 235-6667.

The Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center’s After Hours event is 5:30-7:30 p.m. today at Kachemak Heritage Land Trust at the end of Klondike Avenue. Parking is at Bay Realty or on the street on Klondike Avenue. The Homer Ukulele Group performs and there will be campfire fun, weather and safety permitting.

The Kachemak Bay Birders hold a birding trip at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Wynn Nature Center, Mile 1.5 East Skyline Road. Meet in the parking lot there. Expect mud and mosquitoes. All trips are cosponsored by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Everyone is welcome. It’s free but donation to the Wynn would be appreciated. For more information, contact the trip leader, Michael Craig. 235-0631.

The Homer Native Plant Society invites the public to a free hike to view the plants at the Wynn Nature Center at 1 p.m. Sunday. Beth Trowbridge, executive director of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, will lead this walk to view the ongoing display of wildflowers and plants that appears throughout the summer in this traditional boreal forest. Meet in parking lot at 1.5 Mile East Skyline Road. Not handicap accessible. For more information, contact jwoodring@alaska.net or call 235-9344.

The United Cook Inlet Drift Association holds its 34th annual membership meeting from 1-5 p.m. June 28 at the American Legion in Old Town Kenai. Members are welcome and memberships will be available at the door. For more information, call Audrey Salmon at the UCIDA office, 907-260-9436.

South Peninsula Amateur Radio Club, or SPARC, holds its Field Day/Public Demonstration of Emergency Communications from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. June 28 at the Bishop’s Beach pavilion. Thousands of ham radio operators show off their emergency capabilities that weekend. During the event, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with members of the local ham radio club, SPARC. Visit with these ham radio operators and see what Amateur Radio Service is about. They will display various aspects of communications, includong digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code. The annual “Field Day” event is the climax of Amateur Radio Week, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.

Cooperative Extension Service

Sweet, juicy, ripe strawberries fresh from the garden — sounds good, but where to start? Cooperative Extension’s free publication, “Growing Everbearing Strawberries as Annuals in Alaska: a Technique for High Yields,” is full of great information to “get your berry on.” The Cooperative Extension Service is a year round resource for a variety of topics. Visit www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai/ to find this publication and more or stop by 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Doors and Windows Building on Kalifornsky Beach Road, Soldotna.

Friendship Center

Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Special programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. For more information, call 235-4556.

The museum galleries are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

“Putting By: Food Identity on the Kenai,” focuses on foods collected and preserved to last the winter and is on exhibit through Sunday.

Ethnobotanist Priscilla Russell will present a variety of traditional Dena’ina uses for native plants at 6 p.m. June 25. Her books, “Tanaina Plantlore” and “Alutiiq Plantlore,” will be available for purchase and signing.

From 5 to 7 p.m. June 26, the Pratt holds a community celebration of the museum’s a $900,000 appropriation from the Alaska Legislature, which was signed by Gov. Sean Parnell in May. Special invited guests include Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna, Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer, Homer Mayor Beth Wythe and Homer City Council members, and Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre and Borough Assembly members.

Historic Harbor Tours start Friday and are held at 3 p.m. every Friday and Saturday through Aug. 23. Meet at the wheelhouse in front of the Salty Dawg on the Homer Spit. The fee is $10 per person.

South Peninsula Hospital

Upcoming training opportunities at South Peninsula Hospital are:

• American Heart Association Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers courses at 8 a.m. on June 27.

• Safe Sitter class on June 25 and 26. This two-day course is designed for 11- to 13-year-olds to learn basic child care skills and prepare them to provide quality babysitting services. Space is limited; registration is required.

To register for these classes, call the hospital education department at 235-0258.

SVT Health & Wellness

SVT Health & Wellness offers a drug take back event today in Homer and Seldovia. Safely dispose of unused or expired medication for free. Giveaways and refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 226-2228 ext. 660.

Spotted

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